Illinois’ 17th District field taking shape

Ed Tibbetts

Jun 30, 2011

Bobby Schilling

Dave Koehler

Mike Boland

Cheri Bustos

George Gaulrapp

Mark Schwiebert

The Democratic field in the Illinois 17th Congressional District
race is beginning to form up, with one potential candidate dropping
out Thursday and another saying she will file nomination papers
today.

East Moline Alderman Cheri Bustos said she will file candidacy
and organizational papers today with the Federal Election
Commission and plans to make a formal announcement on July 13. She
had planned a June 30 announcement, but said she wanted to avoid
clashing with the Fourth of July holiday.

Meanwhile, Porter McNeil, a longtime activist from Moline, said
Thursday his family agreed this would not be the time to launch a
bid for office.

“I just ran for a seat in the Illinois House 16 months ago, and
the McNeil house agreed that the timing isn’t right for a campaign
in the U.S. House,” he said.

Several Democrats have been eyeing a challenge to U.S. Rep.
Bobby Schilling, R-Ill., who was elected as part of the GOP sweep
last November.

Democrats think they have a good chance to retake the seat. The
district is just one of about a dozen across the country that are
held by Republicans but that the Democrats carried in both the 2004
and 2008 presidential elections. The just-completed redistricting
process added a bit more of a Democratic flavor to the district,
too.

Two Democrats have formally declared bids for the office. State
Sen. Dave Koehler of Peoria and Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp have
announced they’ll run. Gaulrapp just did so over the weekend.

This will be his second bid for Congress. He ran unsuccessfully
last year against Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill.

Gaulrapp said jobs, education and energy will be his focus. In
his seventh year as mayor, Gaulrapp said in an interview Thursday
that he’ll emphasize his record, noting Freeport was able to end
the 2010-11 fiscal year with a surplus even though the state was
failing to pay its obligations to the city.

Freeport, which is 30 miles west of Rockford, has a population
of nearly 26,000 people.

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There still are some questions about who will complete the
Democratic field. Former state representative Mike Boland of East
Moline has not made an announcement, but has been traveling the
district. Previously, he has indicated he is leaning toward a bid.
Boland said Thursday he doesn’t have a timetable for a decision,
but has been getting a positive response.

There still is a question about the plans of former Rock Island
Mayor Mark Schwiebert.

Some Democrats in Rock Island County are saying they don’t think
he will run. But Schwiebert said earlier this week he had not made
a final decision and intends to make an announcement about his
plans next week.

The primary isn’t until March.

The newly drawn 17th District includes all of the Illinois
Quad-Cities, as well as parts of Peoria and Rockford. It stretches
to the state’s northern border.